1 Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions Bill),-Mr Kenneth Clarke reported from the Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills, to which the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions Bill) was committed, That it had gone through the Bill, and made Amendments thereunto.

Ordered, That the Bill, as amended in the Joint Committee, be printed [Bill 42].

Bill, as amended in the Joint Committee, re-committed to a Committee of the whole House, pursuant to Standing Order No. 60 (Tax law re-write bills).

Committee to-morrow.

2 European Standing Committee A,-Mr Joe Benton reported from European Standing Committee A the following Resolution:

That the Committee takes note of European Union document No. 13438/01, Commission Communication on a Community strategy for dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls; and supports the Government's objective that effective and proportionate measures are taken across the European Union in order to reduce emissions of, and exposure to, these substances, and to meet national, other regional and global commitments.

Report, together with Resolution, to lie upon the Table.

3 Railways and Transport Safety Bill,-Mr Secretary Darling, supported by the Prime Minister, Mr Secretary Prescott, Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Secretary Straw, Mr Secretary Blunkett, Mr Secretary Murphy, Secretary Peter Hain, Mr Secretary Smith, Mrs Secretary Liddell, Mr John Spellar and Mr David Jamieson, presented a Bill to make provision about railways, including tramways; to make provision about transport safety; and for connected purposes: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow and to be printed [Bill 40].

Ordered, That the Explanatory Notes relating to the Railways and Transport Safety Bill be printed [Bill 40-EN].

4 Litter and Fouling of Land by Dogs,-Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make further provision relating to litter and the fouling of land by dogs and to allow a local authority to retain the revenue from fixed penalty notices for such offences issued in its area for the purposes of enforcement: And that Mr Bob Blizzard, Andy Burnham, Michael Fabricant, Mr Doug Henderson, Mr David Lepper, Siobhain McDonagh, Mr Alan Meale, Lawrie Quinn, Jonathan Shaw and Mr Neil Turner do prepare and bring it in.

5 Litter and Fouling of Land by Dogs Bill,-Mr Bob Blizzard accordingly presented a Bill to make further provision relating to litter and the fouling of land by dogs and to allow a local authority to retain the revenue from fixed penalty notices for such offences issued in its area for the purposes of enforcement: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time on Friday 4th April and to be printed [Bill 41].

6 Future of Education in Northern Ireland,-A Motion was made, and the Question being proposed, That this House urges the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to honour the clearly expressed preference of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland to retain a selection procedure for transfer to post-primary schools, thus limiting the damage flowing from the administrative vandalism of the former Education Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly; congratulates governors, principals, staff and pupils in Northern Ireland schools on achieving higher qualification levels at post-primary level than their counterparts in England and Wales; calls on the Government to maintain the levels of excellence achieved at so many schools while striving to enhance the performance and status of schools with a lesser level of achievement; regrets that too many able students from local grammar and secondary schools cannot obtain university places in Northern Ireland; calls for a change in household income thresholds to encourage higher uptake of discretionary awards; and urges the Government to honour its pledges to ensure a fair allocation of resources to education in Northern Ireland, including adequate research funding for Queen's University, Belfast and the University of Ulster-(Mr Roy Beggs);

An Amendment was proposed to the Question, in line 2, to leave out from the word 'House' to the end of the Question and add the words 'congratulates governors, principals, teachers and other school staff on the contribution they make to educating young people in Northern Ireland; welcomes the high qualifications achieved by many pupils but acknowledges that there are also large numbers of young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, leaving school with low qualifications; urges the Secretary of State to continue to take forward the review of post-primary education with the objective of putting in place new post-primary arrangements that will maintain those high standards of achievement and build a modern and fair education system that enables all children in Northern Ireland to achieve their full potential; and further welcomes the additional higher education places and the Secretary of State's decision to increase Government funding for research and knowledge transfer at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster', instead thereof.-(Jane Kennedy.)

And the Question being proposed, pursuant to Order [7th January], That the original words stand part of the Question;

Mr Roy Beggs rose in his place and claimed to move that the Question be now put.

And the Question being put, That the Question be now put:-It was agreed to.

And the Question being accordingly put;

The House divided.

Tellers for the Ayes, Mrs Cheryl Gillan, Mr Mark Hoban: 144.

Tellers for the Noes, Charlotte Atkins, Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: 377.

So the Question was negatived.

And the Question, That the proposed words be there added, being put forthwith, pursuant to Standing Order No. 31 (Questions on amendments) and Order [7th January]:-It was agreed to.

The Deputy Speaker forthwith declared the Main Question, as amended, to be agreed to.

Resolved, That this House congratulates governors, principals, teachers and other school staff on the contribution they make to educating young people in Northern Ireland; welcomes the high qualifications achieved by many pupils but acknowledges that there are also large numbers of young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, leaving school with low qualifications; urges the Secretary of State to continue to take forward the review of post-primary education with the objective of putting in place new post-primary arrangements that will maintain those high standards of achievement and build a modern and fair education system that enables all children in Northern Ireland to achieve their full potential; and further welcomes the additional higher education places and the Secretary of State's decision to increase Government funding for research and knowledge transfer at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster.

7 Adjournment (The 2012 Olympics bid),-A Motion was made, and the Question being proposed, That this House do now adjourn.-(Jim Fitzpatrick);

And it being three hours after the commencement of proceedings on the Motion, the Motion for the adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put, pursuant to Order [7th January].

8 Electricity (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill,-Ordered, That, in respect of the Electricity (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, Notices of Amendments, new Clauses and new Schedules to be moved in Committee may be accepted by the Clerks at the Table before the Bill has been read a second time.-(Mr Fraser Kemp.)

9 Human Rights,-Ordered, That Mr Norman Baker be discharged from the Select Committee appointed to join with a Committee of the Lords as the Joint Committee on Human Rights and Mr David Chidgey be added.-(Mr Fraser Kemp.)

10 Public Petitions,-A Public Petition from St Columba's High School, Dunfermline, Amnesty International Group for the strengthening of controls on arms exports was presented and read; and ordered to lie upon the Table and to be printed.

11 Public Petitions,-A Public Petition from 'Consumers for Health Choice' and others against restrictions on the availability of natural health products was presented; and ordered to lie upon the Table and to be printed.

12 Adjournment,-A Motion was made, and the Question being proposed, That this House do now adjourn-(Mr Fraser Kemp);

And the Motion having been made after Seven o'clock, and the Debate having continued for half an hour, the Speaker adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order, it being then ten minutes to Eight o'clock, till to-morrow.

7 Statutory Instruments (Notification),-Communication declaring that the undermentioned Statutory Instrument had come into operation before copies were laid before Parliament, and explaining why such copies had not been so laid before the Instrument came into operation:

1 Culture, Media and Sport,-(1) Second Report from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee [Annual Report of the Committee]; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 148]; and

(2) Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee [London Olympic Bid 2012]; to be printed [268-i]

[Mr Gerald Kaufman].

2 International Development,-(1) First Report from the International Development Committee [Afghanistan: the transition from humanitarian relief to reconstruction and development assistance], together with Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No. 84]; and

(2) Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee [The humanitarian crisis in southern Africa]; to be printed [No. 116-iii]

[Tony Baldry].

3 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions,-(1) Second Report from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee [Committee's Annual Report to the Liaison Committee]; to be printed [No. 288]; and

(2) Memoranda laid before the Committee [Planning for Sustainable Housing and Communities]; to be printed [77-II]

[Mr Andrew Bennett].

4 Statutory Instruments,-Sixth Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, together with Memoranda laid before the Committee; to be printed [No. 96-vi] [Mr David Tredinnick].

5 Tax Law rewrite Bills (Joint Committee),-(1) First Report from the Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills [Income Tax (Earning and Pensions) Bill]; to be printed, with the Minutes of Proceedings of the Committee relating to the Report [No.287];

(2) Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee [Income Tax (Earning and Pensions) Bill]; to be printed [Nos. 287-i and -ii]; and